


Heart Full of Stars

by ceo_of_lonely



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Harley Keener Needs a Hug, M/M, Peter Parker Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:21:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23224717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceo_of_lonely/pseuds/ceo_of_lonely
Summary: AU where Harley and Peter basically live in the hospital and meet each other there :)Or...I'm weak for Five Feet Apart and parkner soooo...
Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Comments: 11
Kudos: 86





	Heart Full of Stars

"May, I don't wanna," Peter whined, sinking into his bed and crossing his arms, a childish pout on his face. May tilted her head and quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh, is that so?" She said. "Because I remember you whining a few months ago that there were no kids your age here."

Peter opened his mouth but couldn't find his words. Instead, he groaned and turned onto his stomach, hiding his face in the pillow. May rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, kiddo, you're gonna be late."

* * *

"Hi, my name is Avery, I'm 14, I like to draw, and I have Arrhythmia," the blond girl said before sitting back down in her seat. Peter slumped further into the plastic chair he was sitting on, his eyes scanning around the tight circle of kids in the room.

"Nice to meet you, Avery," the man sitting across from Peter said softly, his round face and soft eyes seeming fatherly. "Would anyone else like to introduce themselves?"

The room fell silent.

"Come on, someone? How about you, Harley." the man looked over to a boy sitting next to him. He had a messy, golden quiff and stunning blue eyes. He sighed and sat up straighter.

"Do I have to?" He murmured at the man. After receiving a quick nod, he looked around. "I'm Harley. Keener. I have Cystic Fibrosis... Um, kinda shitty, I know, and I like engineering." He muttered something else Peter couldn't catch, but it must've been something bad because the man sent him a warning glance.

"Alright," the man said. "I guess I'll introduce myself now. I'm George, I'm 32 years old, I work as a therapist and I mostly work at hospitals, as you might've imagined."

"Hi, George," the group murmured. George smiled even wider.

"Alright," he said after a few seconds of awkward silence. Whatever he said after that was a mystery because Peter was too focused on the really cute guy sitting in front of him. Right before he had the chance to look away, Harley met his gaze, holding it confidently and smirking. Peter knew his face would betray him and turn red in seconds, so he forced himself to look away, still feeling Harley's icy blue gaze burning into him.

Peter was already on his feet the second George said the meeting was over, playing with the breathing tube taped under his nose, a nervous tick he'd gotten used to doing over the months. He threw his backpack over his shoulder and started to walk away, heading to his room.

He rested his back against the door once he'd made it to his room, internally slapping himself for being such a coward. He barely knew Harley and he was already running from any interaction with him.

"How'd it go?" Peter nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice.

"Jesus, May, you scared the crap out of me," he breathed out, glaring at his aunt and was sitting on the couch in his room. "How long have you been in here?"

"Don't change the conversation on me, Peter Benjamin Parker. You met someone."

Peter furrowed his brows but, once again, couldn't find the right words. He sighed. "I didn't really _meet_ him. He just introduced himself to everyone." 

May was immediately on her feet, a grin already spread across her lips. "Who is he? What's his name? Is he gay?" She whispered the last part, childish excitement filling her eyes.

"May!" Peter groaned, walking over to his bed and sitting down before pulling his air tank out of his backpack. "How should I know if he likes boys?"

May shrugged. "I don't know, maybe you talked to him or something. Maybe you just _know_. What is it that you call it now? _Gaydar_? In my day, we called it 'following your gut'."

Peter chuckled and laid down. "May, you sound like a grandmother."

May gasped and put a hand on her chest. "Excuse me?"

* * *

"Can I sit here?"

Peter froze. He knew that voice. He stirred his pasta around with his plastic fork and forced himself to look up. He melted when he met blue eyes, shining with kindness.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah," he said quickly, moving to the side to make some room.

"Thanks, darlin'," Harley replied, making Peter's heart stutter and his brain pause.

"No problem," he breathed out, no louder than a whisper. The two ate in silence, anxiety flooding off of Peter in tidal waves.

"So," Harley said. "You new around here?"

Peter swallowed, hoping his voice didn't betray how nervous he felt.

"Nope," he squeaked out. He closed his eyes and cleared his throat. "No, I, uh, I've been here for a few months."

"Cool. I arrived a few days ago. They say this is one of the best hospitals in America, so, my mom bought me a ticket and basically forced me onto the plane," Harley chuckled, making Peter giggle. He quickly cut it off by clearing his throat.

_Giggling? Jesus, Peter, you wanna be more childish?_

"I like your laugh," Harley said with a smirk. Peter smiled softly and looked away as his face went hot. "Hey, um, wanna hang out sometime?"

Peter's head shot up. "Really?"

Harley smiled and nodded.

"Uh, I mean, sure! When? Or, where?" PEter stopped when he realized he was asking too many questions. Harley didn't seem to mind, though.

"How about," he said, nibbling on his fork thoughtfully. "On the rooftop? At sunset?"

Peter's face scrunched up in confusion. Sure, he didn't expect a romantic dinner date but he wondered why he wanted to meet on the rooftop, of all places. He didn't ask, though. "Sure."

* * *

Peter shoved his hands into his PewDiePie hoodie, as he pushed to door open with his shoulder. He was almost breath taken as he saw the sight. Harley was sitting on the ledge, his golden hair messy and his flannel hanging off of his frame. Yeah, the sunset was nice, too.

"Hey," he said as he reached the taller boy. Harley smiled, patting the spot beside him. His smile widened as he saw Peter's hoodie.

"You watch Pewds?" He asked, his eyes glimmering with humor. Peter sat down and nodded.

"Duh, he's like, the best," Peter said matter of factly. Harley breathed out a laugh and turned to look at the sunset.

"Honestly? I prefer Markiplier."

* * *

The two watched the sunset as it shifted the colors in the sky and turned everything the light touched into gold until it was too cold outside. They raided the snack machine and sneaked into the closed lounge to eat their mountain of food. They laid down on the couches and talked, staring up at the white ceiling. 

"So," Peter said. "You said that you're from Tennessee, right?" Harley hummed and nodded. "So, like, what did you do for fun?"

"Well, I would mostly hang out with my friends, steal my mom's car and drive around. We would play a lot of board games - well, in my family, at least. It sounds boring but there's plenty of stuff to do in the countryside."

"Cool," Peter replied, failing to stifle a yawn. Harley turned his head to look at Peter. Their noses were brushing.

"You tired?" He asked softly. Peter shook his head softly, glancing at Harley's lips subconsciously. "You sure?" Harley asked, raising an eyebrow. Peter could've sworn Harley moved his hand closer to Peter's.

Suddenly, the doors of the lounge swung open. "There you are!" A voice said. Peter already knew who it was. He reluctantly sat up and faced his nurse.

"Mrs. Collins," Peter groaned. "What is it?"

"First of all, I've told you hundreds of times; call me Amber, and second, you need to take your meds, you too, Harley."

Peter sent a glance over his shoulder and made eye contact with the blond. "I'll be right there," he said, sending her a kind smile.

* * *

Harley and Peter kept meeting up almost every day for the next month, their bond growing stronger with every laugh and flirt (that always left Peter a stuttering, flustered mess, much to Harley's liking). They mostly met up on the rooftop at sunset, and almost the entire staff knew it was their place by the second week. They'd watch the sunset until the sky was black and the stars sprinkled the vastness of space and then they'd either watch YouTube or Netflix in one of their rooms.

Their friendship wasn't the only thing that was being woven into their hearts, their feelings, as well. Peter would openly accept them, even telling May about how he felt, even if he would never tell him. Harley, on the other hand, wasn't waiting for his feelings with open arms. He'd lost so much, he wasn't willing to lose Peter, too. Besides, he was sure Peter was straight. 

So, they both danced around confessing their feelings for each other, not wanting to ruin the friendship if the other party didn't feel the same way.

"Hey, Pete," Harley said, leaning against the doorframe of Peter's room. Peter looked up from his laptop and smiled, his insides growing warm with affection.

"Hey, Harls, what's up?" He asked, looking back down at the screen.

"I just, uh, wanted to ask you if we could reschedule our thing today?" Harley asked. It was when Peter looked up the second time that he realized how pale Harley was. He was wearing a baggy Rick and Morty t-shirt and some sweatpants, hiding his clearly shivering frame.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, are you ok?"

Harley's lips were pressed into a straight line as he nodded swiftly. "Yeah, I'm ok, I'm just... Not feeling great."

Peter was about to ask again because he clearly wasn't ok but Harley turned on his heel and walked away. He was about to get up and follow but Harley went straight for his room across from Peter's, locking the door behind him. Peter sighed and bit his lip. After a few moments of hesitation, he slid the laptop off of his lap and got to his feet. He walked over to Harley's room and knocked twice.

"Come in," Harley said from inside. Peter slowly opened the door and had to squint to see through the darkness.

"Harls?" He murmured, seeing Harley laying under his covers once his eyes adjusted to the little amount of light seeping through the blinds.

"What is it?" Harley asked, sitting up and wincing at the movement. Peter closed the door behind him and dragged his feet over to the bed, hoping to not trip on anything.

"You are definitely not ok," he said with a smirk. Harley groaned playfully.

"Yes, I am, Pete, I'm just a little bit sick today. We can get back to our meetups tomorrow, like normal."

Peter shook his head. "No, we aren't. I'm gonna take care of you until you're healthy and _then_ we can go back to normal."

Harley laughed. "Are you serious? You know we're like, in a hospital, right? Where there are medical professionals to take care of me?"

"Shut it, Keener, I'm going to nurture you back to health," Peter replied simply, although he couldn't keep out the laughter from his voice. Harley remained silent for a couple of seconds.

"Fine. Pinky promise?"

Peter giggled and stuck his pinky out, intertwining it with Harley's.

"I promise."

* * *

Peter sighed in relief once he'd finally finished all of his homework for the day, cracking his fingers and stretching his arms with a long, tired sigh. He glanced at the clock hanging on his wall and got to his feet.

6:38 PM.

He pulled on a hoodie and some dirty white Converse and walked out of his room.

"Hey, Mrs. Collins," he said as his nurse walked past, a clipboard pressed against her chest. She eyed him playfully.

"It's Amber, Mr. Parker," she replied, her voice laced with sass before turning and walking away. Peter chuckled to himself and walked over to Harley's room. He was about to knock when he heard rushed footsteps and voices getting louder from behind him. He turned around and saw three nurses running towards him, pushing a medical cart along. He had to be pushed out of the way to realize; they were going to _Harley's room_.

He froze, his heart instantly beating at an increasingly rapid pace against his ribcage. His brain blocked out all other sounds except for the voices coming from Harley's room; the rushed, worried orders flying from one nurse to another as they crowded something that was on the floor. Peter felt his chest seize.

The nurses moved.

Harley was on the floor.

Peter's hands flew up to his mouth, covering a sob right on time. Harley's face was dangerously pale, his lips a light shade of blue and dark bags hanging from under his eyes. Tears of horror cascaded down his reddened cheeks, leaving him sobbing into his palms even harder.

"He doesn't have a pulse," one nurse said briskly, continuing her chest compressions.

Peter's knees felt weak and his body heavy, soon leaving him sitting on his heels as he watched the boy who deserved the entire galaxy die. And all he could do was watch.

Someone grabbed his shoulder lightly. Peter didn't need to look to know it was May. She started pulling him to his feet, murmuring reassurances that Peter didn't even bother latching onto. Sobbing apologies at the dead boy lying a few feet from him, May started gently pulling him away.

"No, no I promised- I- _I promised him_ , please, don't- let me stay, _please_ ," he bawled, trying to pull away from May's soft but unfaltering grasp.

"No, come on, kiddo, he'll be fine," May said, pulling him the last few feet to his room, where Peter immediately crashed into her, weeping with all of the strength had left and digging his fingernails into his palms to feel anything other than the dread, the unfaltering heartbreak that he was feeling.

And at that moment, _he knew_.

* * *

Peter stared up at the roof, his eyes filled with tears (they've been like that a lot recently), memories drowning him like tidal waves of unbearable emotion. He was clutching onto the hoodie Harley had given to him weeks prior, hoping to preserve his smell even though it had been a few days and the bland, hospital smell was overtaking it.

The image of Harley's peaceful face haunted him and hung in the back of his head, finding a way to show itself into everything Peter did. He sighed. A slow, shaky sigh. He pushed himself into a sitting position, Harley's hoodie still in his arms.

He should've known before he saw Harley die. He should've known. He should've risked it and told him because now he never could. God, and he imagined Harley's sister and mother, the last of his family. His sister at only twelve and having to live the rest of her life without her brother. And his mother, having to lose her husband and son, leaving her alone with only one person left.

Peter sighed. A scared sigh, this time. Scared to have to leave his room. Scared to have to keep on going. Scared to go to the _funeral_ he was sure to be invited at.

Clutching his pounding head (probably because he had barely been eating and hasn't gone outside in almost three days), he closed his eyes, wanting to start over. Wanting to go back in time and meet Harley and maybe stay with him in his dying moments if there was nothing he could do to stop it. Christ, just to _see him again_ would be enough.

The door opened and someone walked in.

"I'm not hungry," Peter muttered coldly, not even surprised by his rough, shaky voice anymore.

"Oh, really? Because the Peter I know is always hungry," they said. That voice. Peter looked up.

"Harls?" He whimpered, his heart soaring with hope at the sight of those blue eyes and messy golden curls. But, the curls seemed even brighter, and his eyes looked like they were glowing. He seemed godlike.

"Hey, Pete," he said. His voice echoed and soothed Peter's aching skull.

In a heartbeat, Peter was clutching onto the taller boy, sobbing into his shoulder as the other hugged back tightly.

"I'm so sorry, I- I promised, and-" Peter couldn't even finish a sentence before his body shook with another rattling sob. 

"Shh, it's ok, it wasn't your fault, Pete," Harley cooed, pulling away slightly and cupping Peter's cheeks.

At that moment, _Peter knew_.

He leaned up and pressed his lips against Harley's, softly grabbing at the taller boy's wrists. Their lips danced in sync, it was perfect. Peter wouldn't have minded if it laster forever, but eventually, they pulled away.

"I love you, Peter Parker."

"I love you, Harley Keener."

The crushing nervousness Peter always felt when he was around Harley lifted, and he was confident because what he was saying was true, and nothing could mess this moment up.

"Let's go home," Harley said softly after a while of comfortable silence. Peter looked up at confusion. Then it dawned on him. He turned around and looked back at where he used to be laying.

"Oh," he whispered. With a swift nod, he turned back to Harley. "Yeah, let's go home."

**Author's Note:**

> Hope u liked thisss!! Also, sorry for not uploading much here, hehe


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